Its been a while.. New build LP Custom Lite

Rabs · April 2023

Been a while since I posted in this section.. Ive not been building for a while mainly due to issues with my hands... Before that I was working in a wood shop and just didnt want to do more in my spare time. Well the hands have been getting better the last few months and I came across this guitar I really wanted to buy. I went to see it but In the end he wanted too much. But I really fell in love with this thing so decided to make one myself

I just have to make sure I take it easy on my hands. Like this week I did the inlays, a lot of chisel work and the hands have been sore since.. So im just gonna give it a few more days and then take it step by step. So this will be a fairly slow build compared to my old days.

This is the guitar in question. Its a 1988 Les Paul Lite meaning it has a thinner back than usual LPs. Also known as a Les Paul Less Plus which they did some of those in about 2013. But just look at that colour.

What do you reckon? Its not normally my sort of thing but theres just something right about it.

As well as the fact that I havent done this in a while I will also be attempting things I have never done. So this build will have,

Ebony fingerboard
MOP block inlays
Gold MOP headstock inlays (with a split diamond)
Proper LP carve
7 ply body binding
5 ply headstock binding
Nibs
Solid pink/red metallic Nitro paint

Some of which as I say, not done before so I am challenging myself here (which I may regret doing in public by the end of this

).

I have been at this for a few weeks and had about three sessions so far but as said, this wont be quick but should hopefully by the end of it be THE poshest guitar I have ever attempted.

More below.

Rabs · April 2023

We start off as usual with some nice sapele I got locally and some maple I got at the wood shop I used to work at.

I thin out the sapele to 30mm (about the same as the LP Lite) and square the maple. Cut in half and glue

After the glue had set I shape them to rough size

Using my template I cut it to size

Then glue the maple and the back together

The next day I use my router with the bottom bearing bit (as the sapele is the right shape) to clean the top.

Rabs · April 2023

Also we have a neck roughed out and a trussrod channel done

And the inlays are done but the board needs sanding back still

Also for this build..

I had this made up for me on a fibrous board which is apparently what Gibson used to use. And I had a thing about wanting to do it properly so got it like that.. I could have had it on an ebony veneer which I actually would have preferred, but its all good.

I have some proper templates for the guitar, neck and carve

And this has to be the coolest bit.. Our very own @SteveRobinson ;; did me some amazing custom coloured Nitro spray cans.
Love this
z208XCmjpg

The one on the right.. And I got my own custom labels

So this is where we are at.. The body is ready for carving. The neck is ready for its fretboard and the fretboard is (almost) ready for the neck..

The next few steps should be the most interesting. And challenging bits (the body carve). As said, the last thing I did was those inlays.. Need to give my hands a rest but hopefully I will be back at in the next few days

andy_k · April 2023

Fantastic work, only just saw the thread, if I had known what you were planning I would have suggested looking into a cheap Les Paul CM as a base for this build.
Already has the basic construction, and most of the important specs, just needs an extra pickup, some binding and inlays - if you could have lived with the rosewood board.
I think I paid £399 for mine, and it seems like they put extra effort into building it despite the price.
The maple top is thicker than normal, and it has a 3 piece back, which looks to have been selected for grain, and the rosewood fretboard also appears to be slightly thicker, on a one piece maple neck, they used a thin black satin finish over it all, which does seem to cheapen it somewhat, but it is a great base model for some classy mods, and very similar to what you had in mind.
Might have saved some hand work, but yours is in a different league already.

Teyeplayer · April 2023

Love it, what a great colour. And of course the build is as ever impressive (a mysterious set of skills that I lack and am completely in awe of -I can’t even make a pickguard!

)

Danielsguitars · April 2023

I'm all for a thinner LP now, just built my own new models that are the thickness of a junior at the edge and loses nothing.

Love the colour and nice to see something different, the binding tested my patience so good luck.

RocknRollDave · April 2023

Watching with interest. Great thread.

Rabs · April 2023

andy_k said:

Fantastic work, only just saw the thread, if I had known what you were planning I would have suggested looking into a cheap Les Paul CM as a base for this build.
Already has the basic construction, and most of the important specs, just needs an extra pickup, some binding and inlays - if you could have lived with the rosewood board.
I think I paid £399 for mine, and it seems like they put extra effort into building it despite the price.
The maple top is thicker than normal, and it has a 3 piece back, which looks to have been selected for grain, and the rosewood fretboard also appears to be slightly thicker, on a one piece maple neck, they used a thin black satin finish over it all, which does seem to cheapen it somewhat, but it is a great base model for some classy mods, and very similar to what you had in mind.
Might have saved some hand work, but yours is in a different league already.

Cheers guys.

You know what... It didnt even occur to me to do that.. Mind you the wood I get is fairy cheap compared. So the sapele I bought, I had to buy three meters of it which is enough for three bodies (as it was 50mm to start with). That and the neck cost me just over £100.. So its like £25 a piece.. The ebony board about the same.. So it is much cheaper doing it my way for sure. But yeah would have been way less work to convert an existing LP.. Maybe thats something I will think about for future work.. Conversion rather than from scratch.

Rabs · April 2023

Danielsguitars said:

I'm all for a thinner LP now, just built my own new models that are the thickness of a junior at the edge and loses nothing.

Love the colour and nice to see something different, the binding tested my patience so good luck.

Cheers.. And well have done binding before just not this much and never on the headstock.. My old method was two ply binding a black and white layer which I would sometimes switch about depending on the build, like this

electric-guitar-guitars-Heres-another-with-Black-Utile-back-neck-RabsWood-Double-Cut-Walnut-top-1

electric-guitar-guitars-Heres-another-with-Black-Utile-back-neck-RabsWood-Double-Cut-Walnut-top-1

Also I have a couple of other builds that I sort of started and am doing bits and bobs on along the way..

One is going to be an all walnut DC Special type.. Walnut neck too..

Then I have another one made from spalted London Plane which is going to look amazing. The second I saw this wood I bought it on the spot

(they sell it at the place I used to work at)

And for this I made my first five piece neck from Walnut and London Plane

But they will get their own threads soon enough

davros · April 2023

Awesome, looking forward to seeing this progress. You may have seen my LP custom build thread, I had to learn multiply binding and inlays for that too, but turned out ok in the end!

I ended up using thin superglue for the binding and purfling, hold it in place and wick the glue in. Dry in 10 seconds.

Good luck!

Rabs · April 2023

davros said:

Awesome, looking forward to seeing this progress. You may have seen my LP custom build thread, I had to learn multiply binding and inlays for that too, but turned out ok in the end!

I ended up using thin superglue for the binding and purfling, hold it in place and wick the glue in. Dry in 10 seconds.

Good luck!

Cheers and yup.. Thin super glue is how I do it too.. I tried the acetone method but found it much messier.

Rabs · April 2023

Just ordered the bridge and tailpiece.. Went with the Tonepros locking set.. NICE!!

TonePros LPGM02-GLD Metric Locking Bridge Tailpiece Gold - Picture 1 of 1

TonePros LPGM02-GLD Metric Locking Bridge Tailpiece Gold - Picture 1 of 1

Rabs · May 2023

No build update.. Just had to many other things going on. But I did get this.

Its pretty cool.. I usually dont bother with the toggle switch ring but this build will have one as its just very Gibson..

I saw this online and got one as I thought it would be a cool detail. BUT A, its a matte finish which probably wont look as good as everything else will be shiny.. B, it looks a bit thick to me?

I mean.. Its not like anyone really needs it to say Rhythm and Treble

elstoof · May 2023

Thin it down on a bit of sandpaper and spray it with a bit of shellac or something for the shine?

someone here had a wonderful poker chip on their that said Cagney and Lacey

Rabs · May 2023

elstoof said:

Thin it down on a bit of sandpaper and spray it with a bit of shellac or something for the shine?

someone here had a wonderful poker chip on their that said Cagney and Lacey

No bad ideas.. Cheers... I still think for this build I am going to stay more traditional.. But I have a few more builds coming soon so will just use it for one of those instead.

TTony · May 2023

Good to see you back and building again Rabs.

And with some tasty pieces of timber (of course!) too.

Rabs · May 2023

TTony said:

Good to see you back and building again Rabs.

And with some tasty pieces of timber (of course!) too.

Cheers. Its good to be back at it.. Even if it is going to be a bit slow.. As these are personal projects I am in no rush even though it is a bit frustrating.

Rabs · May 2023

Still no update... My hands have for some reason been pretty bad this week so I am holding off a bit.

But I did get this which I think is pretty cool.. The first ever RabsWood custom

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Its been a while.. New build LP Custom Lite

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